Type whiter



Feb; 20, 1923.

v H. ELLIS.

TYPEWRITER. HLED FEB-5.1919.

'2 SHEETS-S HEET 1.

M M I! mm W v I 3 b Wm Wm m QM hm u o Patented Feb. 20, 1923.

; 1,446,338 PATENT OFFICE.

HALCOLM ELLIS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEVT JERSEY.

TYPEWRITER.

Application filed February 5,1919. 'Serial No. 275,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HnLooLM. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of type-, writers vof the standard, as distinguished from the portable,'.type having a shiftable basket carrying the type bars. I In this class.

of typewriter when it is desired to, print a capital letter,the shift key is depressed,

causing the type basket and type barsr-to'be elevated sufliciently to bring the lower type on the type blockinto printing position, the carriage meanwhile remaining stationary.

The use of a shift basket enables a simple.

and firm carriage tobe used, promotes good type alinement, obviates the necessity of using the counterbalancing springs required with a shifting carriage and produces the same shift key touch with a carriage of any length. I j 1 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a shift-basket typewriter embodying improvements in the basket,-

type-bars and key actions which render it extremely simple, very easy to assemble, readily operable by a light touch and whose construction minimizes all individual;

adjustments for the key actions. 7

The type bars are assembled in a novel manner, lnsuring a positive, yet easy, action which, while obviating individual adjust ment, prevents any lost motion that would interfere with a positive stroke of the type bar or destroy good alinement v Another object is the provision of a typebar detachably connected to the shift-basket in an improved manner, thereby combining the advantages of a shift basket, as heretofore set forth, with the advantages inhering in a detachable type bar.

A detachable type bar is a great advantage and ecomomy in the original alining of the type, enabling the aliner to instantly detach the type barfor correction of the type, it being much easier and quicker to inake these correct-ions and adjustments with the type bar outof the machine than to have to make them with the type bar in place. Inasmuch as al'ining the type is the longest and most expensive operation in the assembling of a typewriter, 1t 1s important to reduce this time and service involved in this item to a minimum; and a detachable type bar is a valuable factor in so doing.

My improved detachable type bar carries, self-contained therewith, a hook or coupling bar which is detachably engaged with apin on a bell-crank, thelatter being directly operated by the key lever. When the hook or coupling is detached from the pin, the type bar and hook maybe disconnected from the shift basket and-removed, as aunit.

The type basket is in the form of a segment having an arceshaped slot and lateral kerfs or slots for the pivotal parts of the respective'type bars. The type bars have circular, slotted pivotal ends located in the kerfs or slots and pivoted on an arc-shaped wire secured in the arc-shaped slot in a novel manner. A shiftab-le segmental lock plate, carried by the basket segment, is provided with slots corresponding to those in the basket segment but normally out of register therewith so that the type bars are held in position. On shifting the lock plate, any desired, or all, type bars may be detached by turning them and disconnecting their hooks.

In the-accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the frame of the machine, showing the improvements principally in full lines;

Fig. 2, a detail front elevation of the basket-segment, lock plate, and stops;

Fig. 3, a detail top view of one end of the basket-segment; I I

Fig. 4, a detail perspective of the shift keysand means for raising the basket-seg ment;

. 'Fig. 5, a detail view of a type-bar, and a portion of the basket-segment and bellcrank, showing how the type bar and its hook may be detached;

6, a detail cross section of the lost motion connection of the basket-segment shifting means; and

platechine, said rod being carried by a plate 6 hinged on the back rail. The screws; serves to swing this plate about its lower edge, in so doing extending the springs 3. A slot 7 on the upper edge of the key lever 1 engages a pin 8 on a bell crank lever 9. The bell crank 9 (of which there is one for each key lever) is mounted in a slot in a cross bar extending from side to side of the machine and is pivoted about a rod 10 secured in this cross bar. The upper end of the bell crank 9 carries a pin 11.

The type bar 12 has a hook 13 which is pivoted permanently thereto at 14: and is adapted for detachable engagement with pin 11. The type bar and its hook thus constitute a unitary structure attachable and detachable as such.

The type basket 15 is of segmental form having vertical guides or ways 16 mating those shown at 17 on the machine frame, ball bearings 13 being employed (Figs. 2, The upper and lower limits of movement of the type basket segment are determined by adjustable stops 19 on the machine frame and adjustable stops 20 on the type segment. The segment 15 has an arc-shaped slot 21 intersected by transverse kerfs or slots 22 which receive the pivotal portions of the respective type bars. In the bottom ofthe arc-shaped slot 21 is a wire 23 which is held in that position by screws 2a bearing on its ends, the pressure exerted by said screws forcing the wire into the bottom of said slot.

Each type bar has a radial slot 25 in its circular pivotal head 26, said slots receiving the wire 23 which lies at the center of the head and at the inner end of the slot, as shown in Fig. 1. The slot 25 is disposed so that the type bar has to be elevated (Fig. 5) to position it for detachment.

To hold the type bars in position and serve as an abutment for them when they are in action, there is provided an arc-shaped comb-like lock-plate 27 having slots 28 corresponding to the slots 22. The lock plate is shiftably mounted on the face of the segment 15 by headed screws and slots constituting the slip-connections 29. The lock plate is pressed by a spring 30 acting on a pin 31 carried by the lock plate to keep it normally in position with the slots 28 out of register with slots 22, thereby retaining the type bars in position.

To detach one or more type bars. the lock plate 27 is shifted to bring the slots 28 into registry with slots 22. The hook 13 is then disengaged from pin 11, and the type bar raised until the slot 25 is horizontal where upon the type bar may be removed.

The type action is as follows:

The depression of key depresses the key lever 1 against the tension of the spring 3 and lowers the pin 8 in the bell crank 9.

This swings the bell crank. 9 about its pivot 10 and moves its upper end and pin 11 in a rearward direction. This movement causes the hook 13 to move the type bar 12 from its horizontal position of rest, as shown, to its vertical position of printing, as shown by dotted lines. The rebound of the type from the cylinder, assisted by spring 3, and such further help as the return springs for the two universal bars may exert, brings the type bar 12 to its normal position and the key lever 1 to its position of rest.

The slot in the type lever 12 is closed on its forward side and the action of the link or hook 13 is to pull towards the rear of the machine. Consequently, in printing, the hook 13 draws the type lever 12 snugly against the pivot wire 23 and the type lever is securely pivoted at the time of printing. On the return stroke of the type lever 12, if there should be any tendency for the type lever 12 to leave the pivot wire 23, owing to the pressure of the hook 13, the type lever 12 would bear against the lock plate which closes the slots in the type segment.

Carried by a shaft 32 are two shift keys Loose on shaft 32 is an arm 34 having a hub 35 which has a pin-and-slot connection 36 with shaft 32. Fixed on shaft 32 by a set screw is a collar 37 A coil spring 38 surrounding shaft 32 has its respective ends fastened to the hub 35 and collar 37, said spring being under such tension that it is adapted to keep the pin and slotconnection engaged, when either key 33 is depressed. The depression of a key 33 moves the arm 34 and elevates the type-segment until the latter is arrested by the upper stops. Further depression of the key 33 will not swing the arm 34 any further but only place an additional tension on the spring 20, whereupon the pin and slot connection will yield.

A shift key lock is provided, as shown, comprising a small cam 39 having a key tip at its upper end and pivoted on the side frame of the machine. This cam bears on a pin d0 in the'left hand key lever 33. The depression of the key will turn the cam 39 in such a way as to depress the key lever 33 and its return spring 41 is so light that it will not overcome the friction of the parts moved by the keys 33, but a slight depression of either key will relieve this friction on the shift key lock, which will be returned to its normal position by spring -11.

The escapement of this machine is 0perated by a universal bar 12 of the usual construction, which universal bar is secured to two side arms 43 whichserve to turn a shaft 14; and swing a center vertically extending arm 45 in a forward direction. This arm 45 is suitably connected to an escapement of any desired form. A second universal bar 46 is mounted in a manner similar to the universal bar 42 and rotates the shaft I 47. This shaft 47 has arms extending from it which operate to feed the ribbon and also to operate the ribbon vibrator. This universal bar 46 is made to engage all of the key levers during their entire depression stroke and the leverage is so designed as to reduce the throw of the feed pawl and ribbon vibrator, thereby making it comparatively easy on the key depression or stroke. The advantage of this double universal bar construction, besides the ease of operating the ribbon, compared to operating it from.

the universal escapernent bar, consists of the ease with which the machine may be arranged for silent keys, that is, keys which operate'the type and ribbon but do not operate the carriage escapement. This is accomplished by cutting out a portion of the key lever l, as indicated in the dotted line over the universal bar 42, so that thedepression of one of these key levers does not cause the depression of the bar 42.

What I claim is: In a typewriter, keys a type basket, a pivot member carried by the type basket, detachable type bars each having a rounded lower portion and provided with a slot leading inwardly from its rear edge and receiving the said pivot member, operating connections between the keys and type bars which are pivoted to the type bars above the pivotal mounting of the type bars, and a shiftable lock-plate carried by the type basket which is located in front of the rounded lower parts of the type bars and adapted for holding the type bars in the type basket by serving as an abutment for their rounded lower portions. 1

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signa ture.

' .HALCOLM ELLIS. 

